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the capital were called out but that beggar would show one fault or the other in each one of them. At last the king became worried. He said to the beggar: 'Oh, great soul! we have to cross only a small river. This can be crossed even by swimming. Let us forget these boats. Let us go and swim it over. Why should we waste our time?"
As if the beggar was waiting for it, he said to the king: "Oh king! I also want to say the same thing. Why are you worried about the boats of religious sects? Is it not desirable that we should swim over ourselves to God? In fact, there is no boat of religion. Boats are named only for the profession of the boatmen. The only way is self-swimming. Truth can be found out only by self-effort. Nobody else can give it. One has to swim in the sea of truth by himself. There is no other support. Those who look out for support get drowned near the coast itself, and those who take up courage to swim for themselves cross it over even after a little drowning.
13.
A child asked me: "I want to become like the Buddha. Can you show me the way to reach my ideal?"
That boy was very aged. He had seen at least sixty springs. But he who wants to become like others is still a child and has not yet become mature.
Is it not the sign of maturity of a man that, instead of being like others, he should wish to be like himself? And if somebody wants to become like another, will he ever become so?
A person can only become like himself. It is impossible to be like others.
If I call that old man a 'boy, you might laugh. But if you probe into it, you will not laugh but weep, because you will find that childish mentality exists even in yourself. Do not you yourself want to be like some one else? Do you have the courage and maturity in you to be like your own self? If everybody is mature, then the question of following some one does not arise. Is it not because of the childlike mentality that the following and the followers, the disciple and the teacher, come into existence? And remember that the intellect that wants to follow is not only immature, but also blind.
What did I tell that old boy?
I told him: "Friend,
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